Saturday, May 7, 2016

Happy Mother's Day to My Mother


Today's post is an update on a post I did four years ago  Mother has slowed down a bit since I originally wrote this post, but she still attends church twice a week and is feted to lunch with friends on a regular basis.  

We will celebrate her 100th birthday later this month.  She truly is an amazing woman whose life is an example to many.  

Happy Mother's Day to my mother.


She began life as an only child born to parents who were both 40 when she was born.


She grew up in the small mountain town of Woodland Park.
Her mother, a seamstress and a milliner made her beautiful clothes throughout her life.  This hat and coat are examples of her handiwork.


Mother with her pet hen
She had many adventures with her friends.

Mother and her friends on a camping trip


 When my mother graduated form high school, her mother made this dress and hat for the occasion.
Mother said it was made of dotted swiss.


My Mother on Graduation Day

Mother's Graduation Portrait
After my parents were married,
and after my father came home from World War II,
they bought a home in Colorado Springs.
This was my childhood home.

Easter Sunday
Daddy, Mother, holding Carol
Rell & Sally
Mother taught us much about life.
She also taught me many life skills that I have used throughout my life.
She taught her daughters how to cook, clean, and sew.
She read to us.
She taught us to see the beauty of the world around us through an artist's eye
She played dolls with us, and I even remember her playing hopscotch with us.
She went fishing with our dad.
She planted gardens.
She even helped our dad remodel houses.
I remember her in work clothes along side of my father as much as I remember her dressed in her Sunday best.
She wasn't afraid of hard work.
She was the one who did the painting because she was very particular about how a room was painted.  
She made every home we lived in a welcoming and inviting place.
She also made nearly all of our clothes, and they were beautiful clothes.
Many of the clothes we wore, such as our amazing formals, were designs she made up herself after looking at clothes on the rack or pictures in a book.
We'd say, "I want that dress." and then she'd make it.
She made the dress she is wearing below, and of course she made our nightgowns also.
This dress was made of raw shantung silk.  It was actually drapery fabric that she repurposed as dress fabric.  I loved that dress.
Mother reading to me and my sister
 My mother is a beautiful woman.
She has never lost her sense of style.
When I took her shopping last month, she had to get a new bottle of her signature perfume:
Chanel no 5.
I see in the photo below that she has earrings on that she made one year.
I can faintly see the Christmas tree that she hand painted on ceramic before firing them in her little oven.


She only got more beautiful with age.


She is an expert gardener.  These blooms are nearly bigger than she is.


Mother is an artist.
Here is only one of her wonderful paintings.
It is of the Colorado Monument which you can see from her back porch.
This was my father's favorite view.  She painted this for him.


Mother continues to cook her own meals even to this day.


Ten years ago, we as a family all gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday.
We will all gather again in June to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Here she is surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in 2006.
All were there on this occasion except for my son Jonathan.  He was in Bangladesh at the time.

Mother is still going strong.
In the photo below, she and I are standing in a peach orchard near her home.
This photo was taken when mother was 95.
She still lives on her own and is very involved in life.
Her blood pressure, pulse rate, and cholesterol are better than mine!



She is a woman of great faith.
Her trust is in the Lord.
She is an inspiration to all who know her.
In the photo below, she is reading a scripture passage to her family on the occasion of her 90th birthday.



Nearly every day I speak to my mother by phone.
She answers the phone with such an upbeat voice that it always amazes me.
She sounds like she did when I was a child.
I will never be able to think of her as old.
She keeps redefining that word for me as each day goes by.
My model for life continues to model to this day.
Now, she is teaching me how to age gracefully.
She is teaching me the importance of independence as one ages.
I'm so very proud to call her my
Mother.

Happy Mother's Day, Mother.
I am so blessed to still have you in my life.

22 comments:

  1. Oh! What a treasure she is! You are blessed indeed.

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  2. your mother is an amazing woman. Love from Poland

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  3. What a lovely, inspiring lady. Love that dotted Swiss dress! Her 100th birthday celebration should be quite the occasion. The White House will send birthday greetings to her if you notify them soon, and if you think your mother would enjoy such a thing.

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  4. She is a beautiful and talented woman and you have given her a wonderful tribute.

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  5. You are so blessed to have such a Mother - and I'm sure she is blessed to have such a lovely family as well as such amazing health and strength. My prayers for her 'big birthday', and for protection for all the family as they travel to celebrate with her - may it be a joyful, special day for everyone. God bless you all. Love to you all from over the 'pond', here in mid-Wales, from 'Helva'

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  6. I enjoyed reading about your mother. She is indeed a remarkable woman. You are blessed.

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  7. You areso blessed tohave such a wonderful mother and I look forward to seeing all the photographs at her 100th birthday celebrtions. Thanks for sharing her story with us.

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  8. What a blessing. I can perceive her profound influence on the gigyed and giving woman you are. Happy Mother's Day!

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  9. You are so incredibly blessed to have your mother still with you. It amazes me, and your memories brought back some strong ones of my own. Happy Mother's Day to you and to your lovely mother. :-)

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  10. Happy Mother's day to you and your mother. What a lovely woman she was and still is. She in no way looks 99.9 years old. You are so blessed and I know her 100th will be a really special get together. Hope you take lots of pictures.

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  11. This post made me rather emotional...darn allergies making my eyes watery is what I will say ;)

    Beautifully written...

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  12. Goodness sakes alive, I lost my mom very young but had a lady like a mom to me who got to be 95 years young, the people today live long long lives, your Mother sounds like she has had a remarkable and happy life, she is independent, healthy and happy, spiritual and peaceful..What good genes you have in store for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Mothers day late..my only is over 40000 miles away she was born in the rockies and adores colorful Colorado and adores heat and blue skies and all loving people..

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  13. I see such a strong family resemblance, Sally. And boy -- that resemblance also goes to resilience. She's an amazing and talented woman and your words are so filled with love and admiration. Lucky woman, you are, to have this treasure in your life -- and especially for so many years.

    I hope your Mother's Day was very happy indeed!

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  14. I really enjoyed this post, Sally. Your mom was such a beautiful young girl and is now a beautiful senior. She has led a very charmed life, obviously being cherished as an only child and now cherished by the family she nurtured. You are all so very blessed. Happy 100th birthday to your mom this June!

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  15. Wow, your mom was a beauty as a child, a young mother and now at 100. Still living on her own, attending church twice a week, she is a great example.

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  16. What a truly amazing lady. She's doing very well.
    Started off as a beautiful young child and is now a beautiful senior!
    Maggie x

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  17. Sally your Mother sounds like an incredible woman! I see a wonderful resemblance between you and her. Happy 100th birthday to your beautiful and talented Mother!

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  18. What a sweet post about your mother. I really enjoyed reading about all her achievements and looking at the pictures. She is truly a woman of many talents and a strong person. How wonderful for y’all to have her and be able to celebrate her 100th birthday.

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  19. What a lovely, lovely tribute. Hello, friend.

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  20. p.s. Whoops. Sally, delete that first comment. I just re-read your post and see that your MAMA was born when her mother was past 40 years old. Sorry about that. She seems like a truly remarkable woman. Susan

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